Soldier Game
by marjiwritesthings
Summary: Honoka Kousaka and her band of merry girls are the hottest rising stars in the School Idol circuit. However, their quest to make the world smile is put on pause when Japan is attacked by the Russian Federation. As the Self Defense Force mobilizes to prepare preemptive movements into Korea and Sakhalin island, the girls prepare to cheer on the troops. The situation deteriorates.
1. Foreign Ceilings

Chapter I

"BRRRRTTTT. BRRRRRTTTT."

Honoka threw herself around the sheets, as if her drowsy flailing would silence this foreign noise. The noise was that of her alarm.

"BRRRRTTT! BRRRRTTTT! BRRRTTTT!"

As Honoka slowly drifted towards consciousness, the alarm seemed to be getting louder. As it went from a dull pressure against her head to a piercing shriek, the girl noticed that it, in fact, wasn't even her alarm. It was a foreign noise. The alarm she had woken up to most of her life was infinitely nicer, and this certainly wasn't it. As Honoka turned over the prospect in her mind, she realized she had begun to possess at least some consciousness. And with _some_ consciousness, came a departure from sleep entirely. There was no point in trying to stay in bed now.

"BRRRRTTTTT! BRRRRRTTTTTT! BRRRRRTTTT!""

Especially not with the alarm blaring. With a yawn and a resigned sigh, she ceased to tumble around the bed, opening her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy. She knew she was still really, really tired. But, she also knew it was a very, very good idea to get up. She couldn't put her finger on it. As her vision focused, she looked around. Not only was her alarm foreign, but so was the room she was in. One bed, which she was tucked into, a rather small television mounted on the wall, a desk… a mini fridge. If anything jogged Honoka's hazy morning memory, it was that. She was in a hotel. She remembered Nico being appalled by the price of those stupid nuts they put in the fridge "complementarity."

Oh, right, Nico. She was in the other room. The other room! Right! As Honoka pulled herself up onto her lithe elbows, the memories returned. Nico was in 514 with Maki, Honoka was in 513 with Umi and Kotori, Rin and Hanayo were in 512, and Nozomi and Eli were in 511. The whole gang. Muse. Why were they up so late…? Honoka tried to remember. They had all gathered in Honoka's room. To talk about something. The concert!

The gears in Honoka's mind were turning. It was only a matter of time before she remembered everything and would be ready to attack the day with her usual vigor.

"Honoka! Wake up! We're going to be late." A voice almost as shrill as her alarm broke her from her natural albeit slow process of awakening.

"Umi-chan, please don't yell at Honoka like that. I don't think she wants to wake up to that." Another voice, sweeter, gentler, quieter, responded for Honoka. She couldn't have said it better herself.

"Okay, fine, Kotori. You need to hurry up and get dressed too." Honoka's fluttering eyes saw Umi's shadow pass the bed. Umi was on her way to the bathroom the trio shared for the weekend.

"Heeeeeeey! Honoka-chan! Wake up, please. We have to leave for the parade soon." Kotori's voice was stretched. The girl was probably trying to be forceful but her manner of speaking just didn't lend itself to that. "It's impo-"

"PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!"

Kotori was cut off by the roar of a hairdryer in the bathroom. If Honoka wasn't awake then, she was now.

Honoka raised her own voice, yelling over the dryer. "Umi-chan! Turn that off! I'm up, I'm up." She giggled as Umi came out, hairdryer in hand.

"I'm sorry Kotori, but the ends always justify the means I trust you and Honoka and all, but Honoka could sleep through a nuclear blast," said the dark haired girl.

Kotori gave Umi a warm smile and shook her head. "It's okay. I wasn't going to get her up on my own at that rate anyway."

Honoka scoffed, stirring on the bed between them. Hey! She was right there! "I'm awake, I'm awake! Leave me alone!"

The three friends giggled and Umi went back into the bathroom, returning to the hair dryer. She had it on a lower setting at least. Kotori set about searching for her pants. She seemed to be missing the bottom half of her uniform for the concert.

All three were wearing military fatigues- or, at least they were supposed to be. They weren't so much costumes as actual uniforms; the concert was sponsored by the SDF itself, in order to raise moral. Things were looking grim, and the hot new girl group from Otonokizaka had become a symbol of what the Japanese way of life meant and what was at stake. Honoka had a vague understanding of what Muse meant to the world, now, but that was only after Maki and Umi explained it to her. Honoka wasn't stupid, but she had to admit geopolitics and ways of life and really just the whole last few months had gone really over her head.

The way she understood it, though, she was just trying to brighten the mood. And that was what she had always done! Today wasn't any different. Well, maybe the stakes were a little higher, but it wasn't a departure from the orange haired girl's normal policy. Her goal was to make others happy and a huge concert to benefit the SDF was a great platform!

With her daily pep talk and her brain working at full capacity, Honoka pulled herself out of the bed, but not before sliding over the slight dimple in the sheets where Kotori had slept. Honoka couldn't help but smile. It was shaped just like her: small, cute, soft. Honoka slipped out of bed, going over to where her suitcase was. On her way over, she saw where Umi had slept. The couch. She thought three girls sharing a bed would be lewd and had opted to let two girls share a bed while she slept _safely_ on the couch. It wasn't easy keeping her from doing weird things and sometimes Honoka had to make concessions.

Honoka pulled off her shorts and her sleep shirt, kneeling in front of her suitcase. Uniform, uniform. Where was it? Eventually, the girl found it. She pulled on the pants, and then the undershirt she had packed, and then the jacket. Luckily, the whole outfit was designed to be put on in a hurry anyway. As Honoka had wormed into her clothes, Kotori had found her pants. This left just Umi unready. Honoka and Kotori had showered and everything last night, but Umi had insisted on waking up early to shower while they were sleeping. It wasn't really anything of note, just another weird thing Umi had decided to do.

Honoka went to the bathroom and stood beside Umi, putting in her signature hair tie. She looked at Umi's reflection in the mirror.

"You look nice, even with no makeup on, Umi-chan." She commented.

"...thanks, H-Honoka." Umi was flustered by the compliment.

Honoka giggled; that was most of the fun anyway.

Umi finished drying her hair and switched to brushing it. Umi spoke this time."I really appreciate it, Honoka-chan. You always look radiant no matter what you're doing. It's amazing." She was a deep red.

Honoka was flattered, her cheeks turning a gentle red of her own. She wasn't nearly as red as the girl she shared a mirror with but it was still a really abrupt and genuine compliment.

"Thanks, Umi." Honoka finished fixing her hair for the day and exited the bathroom. Knowing Umi, she would have just ended up more embarrassed if Honoka reacted any more.

Honoka flopped back onto the bed. She'd put her boots on when Umi was done.

"KNOCK KNOCK!"

The sound of a fist on the wood of the door forced Honoka back up as soon as she had sit down. She rushed to the door but quickly glanced back at Kotori before opening it. Kotori gave her a thumbs up, confirming she had found her pants, and Honoka swiftly undid the lock, swinging it open.

"Hi, hi, hi! Nico is here to wake you up!" The small, boisterous girl stated. It wasn't an offer or a request. It was a statement. Unfortunately for Nico, though, Honoka and her friends were already awake. "Oh." Nico deflated. She didn't really think her plan through but accepting defeat had become her modus operandi anyway, "Good morning, then." She shrugged and slid her way past Honoka into the room.

Standing behind her in the doorway was Maki, stoic as ever. She was a few inches taller than her roommate despite being two years younger, but whatever height she had on Nico, Nico made up for with her flamboyant pigtails. She slinked past Honoka, following Nico and offering the second year a quiet, "She spent 5 minutes rehearsing." For Honoka, it was apology enough.

Umi exited the bathroom, and all five girls filed deeper into the room, pulling themselves onto the edges of the single bed. Honoka sat on her knees in the center. She supposed everyone expected some words of encouragement before they met up with the other four girls in the lobby. Honoka didn't usually know what she wanted to say before she said it, so she let herself think out loud.

"When we started Muse, we wanted to save our school. We had a clear goal. Something to strive for! But, that didn't last. When we realized we loved making people smile, we decided we wanted to make people smile! Now, it's not just our school we're saving. Now, it's not just smiles we're inspiring." She paused, looking around the assembled faces. "It's hope. Nine girls doing what they can to make things better, all on their own. That's us. We inspire others, as much as we've failed over and over again for every little success. It's not a matter of if we'll succeed. We'll fail and fail, and trip and fall and stumble- but we'll always get up! Nothing can keep us down!"

Honoka didn't think she had a way with words. She knew it was corny. She knew it was shallow. She knew that the world wouldn't end if they screwed up- in fact, Honoka didn't really care if they did great or not! She wanted to make everyone smile, and that was what she would do! It was that energy, that burning desire she and all her friends had, that was what they appreciated. It was what was left unsaid. And Honoka knew her fans probably thought the same thing! Muse wasn't the best idol group, or even the best _school idol group_. It was Muse's raw, genuine love for life that people came to love in and of itself.

After that shared moment of pensive quiet, Maki concluded the group's thoughts.

"Well said, Honoka." She nodded approvingly. Maki wasn't jubilant, but what Honoka had meant to imply had gotten to her and the older girl hoped- and, maybe, knew- that Maki was at least a little bit pleased with her second year friend. After letting her appraisal linger, Maki gave the petite girl seated to her right a tap on the shoulder and hopped off the bed. "Come on, Nico-chan. If we're the last ones in the van, they'll make us sit in the back." She flipped a strand of errant, sanguine hair over her shoulder and started for the door.

Nico leaped backwards off the bed, quickly shaking herself out of her own thought and trying to follow her friend. As Maki exited, Nico caught up to her in the doorway. She took a quick look down the hall, ostensibly to see if Maki could hear her, and pouted sympathetically towards Honoka. "Maki-chan woke up hugging me again. She told me she had a bad dream and not to tell anyon-" Nico yelped in surprise as she was pulled from the doorway, unable to finish her sentence.

"Nico-chan apologizes for wasting your time. Please gather Kotori and Umi and come to the lobby," instructed Maki's stern voice, echoing down the hall. And with that, the now empty doorway accepted the door with a gentle thump as its wood bumped against the metal of the frame.

The second year girls were alone again. Honoka couldn't help but giggle. Nico-chan and Maki-chan were always bickering like a married couple! Honoka knew how immature it was to pick favorites among her friends. That was so mean on a personal level! She knew, even more so, it was worse to pick favorites in terms of being the leader of Muse. She couldn't value one member of the group over another. But… Honoka loved Maki and Nico. Maki was her favorite first year, and Nico was her favorite of the third years. It had taken so long for them to become friends, that when her two psychological curiosities; the quiet, flustered intellectual, and the loud, flamboyant diva; when the two had become friends, it was one of the best times of her life. It was like she couldn't have played things out better in her head! They were meant to be friends! Nico and Maki had the same kind of bond that Honoka herself had with Kotori and Umi, and she treasured it beyond words. She couldn't help but be happy for them, and for herself for playing matchmaker to it all.

"They're always adorable," Honoka commented. Now she, too, got off the bed. "Umi-chan, Kotori-chan, are you ready to leave?"

"Just a minute, Honoka." Umi carefully dismounted the bed and strode to the corner of the room where she had parked three bulging backpacks. "Here we go. Food, water, changes of clothes- everything we need if we end up having to stay longer than we expect at the camp." Umi heaved two of the packs onto her shoulders, one each, and gestured to the two other girls. Honoka nodded and Kotori did the same. With a grunt, Umi tossed first Honoka's bag, and then Kotori's, with sizable strength. How impressive it was didn't set in on Honoka until the bag landing in her arms nearly knocked her over! It was seriously heavy!

"Wow! Umi-chan, you're so strong!" Honoka praised. She grunted in effort as she tried to place it on her back.

The dark haired girl let out a breathy chuckle. Honoka knew she was a little insecure about not being very girly, but a little praise didn't seem to hurt this time. "Thanks, Honoka. Good catch." Umi took a deep breath and whatever exertion it had taken to lift the bags and toss them seemed to have dissipated completely. She bent at the knees to grab the third bag and slung it haphazardly onto one shoulder. "I'm ready."

On the bed, Kotori had wiggled into her backpack. It was almost comically large on her and Honoka seriously considered helping her carry it; the frail girl looked dangerously off-balance with her payload clutched to her back by her small hands. Nonetheless, she crawled off the bed and found her balance on her feet. "I'm ready!" She declared.

Honoka had wormed her own way into the bag and had it secured firmly over her back. She blew out a long breath, getting used to the weight. "Alright!" She took a few eager steps towards the door and motioned to follow before continuing. "Let's go!"

She was a little afraid of performing in front of such a huge audience, but with Umi, Kotori, Maki, Nico, Rin, Hanayo, Nozomi, and Eli by her side, Honoka knew she could conquer anything.

* * *

 **Hi! So, here's my (second) fan-fic writing debut. This isn't the first fic I've written but it's the first I think is worth posting and not taking down. To clarify the schedule, review policy, and a few other things:**

 **First, this story is finished. I have an end in mind- well, actually two endings. The whole story is outlined, and roughly drafted. I have written two endings, though, but how and why they diverge are completely secret and which one I use is essentially a matter of arbitration. Anyway, as it is mostly finished and essentially the only reason for staggering the release schedule for the fic like I'm going to be doing is because I'm rewriting each chapter as I go. It helps me keep my vision unified and pure, I think. As it stands now, a chapter will trickle out every so often. Expecting one per week at least should be the minimum investment.**

 **Second, review policy. Please review this. As unaffected and terse as I might sound with this A/N, I am an absolutely whore for attention and love so please give me those two things. Tell me what you think! I'm an ambiguously published (RE: in magazines and collections of other works but nothing on my own because publishing is impossible) author and I'd like to know what people think of my ability to write, and more importantly, write as a character. I enjoy trying to write as a character, to tell a story from a very specific point of view, and I think this is a fun challenge. Think of this story as one of those trucks you see on the highway that has a big ugly bumper sticker that says, "How's my driving?" The review section is the number you're supposed to call on the sticker. Call it!**

 **A few other things:**

 **Where is this story going? Short answer: The summary isn't a joke, and this will get edgy and dark fast. Long answer: I'll explain next chapter more in depth, in the author's note. To try to put it in relative terms, I'm trying to tell a story about interpersonal drama** ** _ala_** **Love Live but set to the backdrop of fecal matter and the fan colliding. It's a fun time, trust me.**

 **How did you think of this idea? Short answer: "But what if like," Puff. "Evangelion, but no robots, only girls, the aliens are just Russians, and they sing?" Long answer: There's a series of drawings of the Love Live cast with guns that are supposed to suit their personalities and I woke up one day over Winter Break and said, "I'm writing that," and here we are in March with this.**

 **That should answer a few questions! I'll talk more about the story after the next chapter I post. Be on the lookout. I hope you enjoy the story so far, Love,** ** _M_** **.**

 **P.S. Sorry for the anemic chapter, the next one will be more than just this tease. That should be coming soon, too.**


	2. Familiar Faces

Chapter II

For someone with upwards of five cars in her name, Maki absolutely despised them. Most motor vehicles, actually. Generally, if it moved under her feet, or her butt, she hated it. It wasn't natural. Humans weren't meant to ride anything other than perhaps a horse. At best. Maki had also ridden a horse, and she had no taste for that, either. But, a horse, that was natural. Cars were not.

Okay, fine. Maki was just trying to rationalize her car sickness. She always, always got carsick. She could never take a drive on the Nishikino estate back in Oklahoma, or ride a bus at home in Akihabara. It always made her uneasy. She had even thrown up once or twice, but that was her secret. Not even Nico knew.

Not that Nico even- Maki sighed. Inwardly. Not outwardly, because as much as she had opened up, she tried her best to avoid letting people know what was on her mind. Of course, she often found herself distracted, as a result. ...Like now. She was distracted now. Maki focused her eyes on the seatbelt in her lap, trying to keep the fluttering in her stomach calm so she could collect her thoughts again. Deep, quiet breaths Maki. Come on. Right. As she was thinking, not that Nico even knew that much about her. Nico knew probably the most about her, though. They had grown together much more than Maki would have liked to admit.

Nico did know that Maki had awful car sickness though. It had come up on the plane ride into town. Afterall, a plane was essentially a long, flying car. Arguably much, much worse, too. Maki couldn't personally say she was a fan.

Another thing that had come up by chance that Maki would rather have no one know about was Maki's tendency towards nightmares. Her parents had always told her she had an overactive imagination. She supposed having some of the worst dreams she had ever heard, read, or seen talked about was a symptom of it. She'd dream frankly awful things and wake up not knowing if they had actually happened or not- sometimes in a cold sweat, or sometimes feverish and pale. When she was younger, she would cry out and clutch at whatever velveteen parentis en absentia she had been granted for the night. Of course, no one would come. If her parents did hear, they never came to get Maki. It was likely they couldn't, though. The house was much too big for a trembling, young Maki to shout across. Maki had thought, once or twice in her childhood, to venture out of her room to find where her parents slept in whatever mansion they were in for the year. The prospect of exploring in the dark in the wake of a nightmare was highly unattractive to her, though.

And so, her nightmares had plagued her even now. She grew out of her fear of the dark, but it was too late for mom and dad to help. She'd wake up, be upset, and go back to sleep if there was still time. No point in revelling in it.

Her excess had never forced her to share a bed. The Nishikino family was rich. Extremely, stupidly, law-breakingly rich. She'd never had to share a bed in her life until last night. Maki hadn't really thought about it. Her nightmares were three or four times a week, but she didn't expect one for the first- the only- night she'd spend in someone else's bed. As she had dozed off, Nico fidgeting across the mattress, Maki hadn't expected anything more than a restful night of sleep and then to perform tomorrow. She hadn't had a nightmare before a show before. She knew it was horrible luck. Maki wasn't religious but bad omens were bad omens, and her deep, dark disfunction knew not to keep her up the night before a concert. Or so she thought.

* * *

Last night, Maki had dreamt she was alone. Alone, in a field full of flowers. It was dark. Like the sun was about to set, and it had just ducked behind the trees. If she tried to find it, she could have, but the faint darkness was enough for her. Squinting her eyes, she looked around. There was nothing except for the forested horizon to be seen. She was on the ground, lying on her back, like she had been in the hotel room just minutes before. Maki sat there, in her dream, not doing much of anything. She was content to just lie there. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to simply _be_ in this dark field of flowers. They were pink and red. Maki took a deep breath. The smell of poppies.

She heard a rustling to her left, after a while. Maki turned her head. Out of the flowers, a few feet away, a figure rose. It was hard to tell in the dim twilight, but it looked like… The figure turned to face Maki's direction, silhouetted by the fading light of the sky. It was Nico. The shape of her pigtails gave it away. Well, it was nice not being alone. Maki smiled. If she had to pick one of her friends, too, she would have picked Nico to spend her time in the field of poppies with. She didn't really know why, but in her hazy state of mind, she felt it strongly.

"Hi, Nico-chan." Maki said. She wanted Nico to come lie down next to her. "Did you know poppies bloom in late June?" She knew it wasn't the most interesting thing Nico would ever learn, but Maki liked telling her things. Nico seemed to like listening, and Maki liked that, too. "They aren't spring flowers. They're late summer flowers."

Nico didn't seem to hear her, though. She started walking… away from Maki. Maki raised her voice, calling to the girl from the ground. "Hey! Nico-chan! Come back! I want to talk to you!" Nico still didn't seem to hear her. Maki tried to pull herself up off the ground, she wanted to make Nico come back.

Maki couldn't move.

Try as she might, the girl couldn't move an inch. She was frozen, flat on her back, and Nico was going the opposite direction. She was leaving! "Nico-chan! Wait!" Maki felt her muscles tense and she tried to flail her arms or her legs- anything to get up. She wanted to chase her friend, but she couldn't move! "Please! Nico-chan, wait! I can't get up! Stop!" She felt beads of worried sweat gather on her forehead. As Nico's pigtails became less and less distinct and her silhouette faded into the horizon, Maki felt energy well up behind her eyes, and her cheeks get hot. "Wait! Please…!" She felt overwhelming hopelessness pour into her. She closed her eyes, starting to cry. She wanted Nico to come back.

"Maki-chan! Wake up! Maki-chan!"

Maki felt the tight grip of small but taut hands on her arms. She flicked her eyes open.

It was dark, again, but it was the same dark it had been the first time she closed her eyes. She was in her hotel room. The first thing she saw was the shadow of Nico Yazawa over her, shaking her. She couldn't see Nico's expression in the dark, but the older girl was shaking her ferociously.

"Maki! Can you hear me?!" Nico was trying to keep quiet but the sheer intensity in her voice was beyond apparent. She was scared. Terrified.

"...yes." Maki answered underwhelmingly. Her voice was shaky but she could only offer Nico a simple answer.

"You were calling for me, Maki-chan! And then you started shaking and crying and…" Nico sniffled and the twitch of her nose caused something wet and light to drip gently onto Maki's cheek. Nico was crying. "You were scaring me, Maki-chan. You were scaring me." Nico let go of Maki's shoulders and Maki immediately felt less safe. The stress that usually accompanied waking up from a nightmare was much less oppressive with Nico grabbing her like that. She wanted that feeling back. It was comforting. Maki tried to move her legs, wanting to make sure she wasn't paralyzed. Just to make sure.

She could feel it. She could move it. When she did, though, she felt a gentle pressure on her lower half. Nico was straddling her. As Maki's body regained full feeling, she felt the smaller girl's warmth on her. She was hugging her with all she could. Maki wanted to hug back but… she couldn't. She was paralyzed. For a different reason, this time. Maki took deep breaths, trying to keep calm. She could move, if she wanted. But… if she moved, Nico would move. Maki didn't want that. Feeling Nico squeezing her like this, trying to comfort her… what would Nico do when Maki didn't need her anymore?

She was wide awake now. Maki had let herself get hung up on the feeling of Nico. She finally ventured a few more words. "I'm a-awake, Nico-chan. Thank you for waking me up." She felt a tear run down her cheek. She wasn't as scared as she had been just a moment ago, but between the stress of the recent past and the relief of how she felt then, Maki was darn well going to let herself cry. Besides, only Nico was watching. _Only_ Nico. "I had a nightmare, Nico-chan." She didn't know what else to say. This was the first time she had talked to anyone about it. She felt like a child. Helpless. It was an awful feeling.

"It's okay, Maki." Nico let herself slide down Maki's legs a little, bringing her closer to Maki. The shorter girl let her chest rest against Maki's. "It's okay, now." Nico's long, silky hair hung down into Maki's face. Maki smiled ever so slightly through her tears. Whenever it wasn't in her pigtails, Nico never knew what to do with it. She didn't mind though. Each deep breath brought Nico's smell into Maki. It was her shampoo. Maki loved it.

Nico never smelled like hairspray or chemicals, like Kotori did, and she never smelled like sweat. Like Umi. And Honoka didn't smell like anything, last time Maki checked. Rin smelled like a dog, sometimes, and Hanayo always smelled like food. Usually rice, of course. Nozomi always smelled like incense- Maki couldn't blame her for that. Eli usually smelled… like a bear. Well, that was an assumption. Eli-senpai scared Maki too much to ever try to catch a whiff of her smell. She was just too terrifying.

But Nico- like her smell- was always inviting and nice. It was easy to admit that with Nico cuddling her like this. "Goodnight, Nico." Maki closed her eyes. A few tears forced their way out and ran down her cheeks. Maki wanted to waive any sort of consent to cuddling Nico. If anyone found out she was crying into the arms of the little gremlin in the middle of the night like she was her mother, she'd never hear the end of it. She was tired, Nico was tired- neither of them would remember in the morning. "Don't tell Honoka. Or anyone." Maki felt her breaths shallow. At this point, she wouldn't have to pretend to sleep for long. She felt Nico nod her head gently, the gentle motion and the shifting of her hair on Maki's face affirmed that she had heard Maki's explicit instructions. Satisfied, Maki turned her head slightly, getting comfortable. That was about all she needed to do- she felt as safe and as warm as she needed to be with Nico laid gently on top of her. She didn't feel the need to toss or turn. She was calm. As she let her breaths slow and uniform, she felt herself drift in and out on the tides of sleep, her thoughts becoming hazy and thick. She felt Nico shift too, so that her weight was split evenly between a soft pressure on Maki's chest and the bed. Maki didn't even notice when Nico had slid her arms under the girl, wrapping the two in each other's arms. It was like this that they sailed off to dreamland. Together, this time.

* * *

"The Republic of Korea is the Southern one, Rin." Maki was honestly quite sick of lecturing the girl. But, it was best to try to keep the other girls informed. If the media asked questions, Maki didn't want them to think that Muse was _all_ idiots.

"But why is the Northern one called the Democratic People's Republic, then? Nya, those Koreans are a mess!" Rin said, frustration apparent on her face. She had her arms crossed in defiance of the perceived nonsense of the Korean peninsula, kicking her legs to vent her anger.

"Rin-chan, I think it's because the North Koreans wanted to… uhm," Hanayo trailed off.

Maki felt a little bad. She had made a face while waiting for Hanayo to finish speaking. Maki always had a tendency to come off as judgemental. She knew it was probably her number one flaw, actually. Hanayo might have been wrong but Maki wouldn't ever know, now. She had scared the poor girl into being quiet with just a look. There was no point dwelling on it.

"You're partly right, Hanayo." She'd concede her answer in part to Hanayo. Just to make up for things. "Kim Il Sung, the first leader of the Democratic People's Republic, likely wanted to give the appearance to the West that the North Korean state was both Democratic and a Republic. Obviously, neither of those things are true, but naming it that makes for a nice illusion."

The brakes on the truck squeaked as it came to a stop in at the intersection. All nine girls felt compelled to grab something- Maki grabbed the hand lying on the thigh of the girl next to her. She was in the middle of the rumble seat, so she couldn't reach anything else! Nico squeezed Maki's hand back, and the two girls exchanged a quick glance before quickly making a mutual effort to separate their hands. Maki's eyes scanned the other girls. Nobody seemed to have seen. They were likely all flinching or looking out the windows, Maki thought. Good. If Nozomi found out, she'd never hear the end of it. She'd be 80 and on her deathbed and they'd wheel Nozomi into her hospital room to remind Maki one more time that she had held hands with Nico. And then she'd die. Not of old age, but of embarrassment.

Rin asked another question once they were off down the street once more. "So, why are we fighting in South Korea? Russia attacked us, didn't they? What does Korea have to do with it?!" Geopolitics seemed to upset the small, energetic girl.

Honoka was a much more preferable student. Maki didn't want to pick favorites, but Honoka was her favorite of the second year girls. And the first year girls. Of a lot of people, in fact. Honoka was an upstanding girl. Good head on her shoulders, Maki commented, to herself.

Hanayo ventured another answer. "Uhm, stop me if I'm wrong, but…" Hanayo lifted her eyes to Maki's and seemed to ask for permission to speak. Maki's heart melted. Was she really so intimidating? Maki nodded decisively, as if to say, 'of course!' Hanayo spoke again. "The SDF received permission from the UN-"

Maki felt compelled to add. "The Security Council of the UN, minus Russia and Kazakhstan. They were forced to abstain from the vote due to being in a state of war against the member of the Security Council bringing forth the resolution." It was some extra information, but she felt it was important. Okay, really, it wasn't. Maki immediately felt bad again. Was she a know-it-all? She wanted to look back towards Nico and see what she was thinking right now, but she was completely across the truck from Hanayo. It would be awkward.

Hanayo nodded quickly. "R-Right! Uhm, the Security Council, minus Russia and Kazakhstan, uh… They voted to allow Japan to deploy the SDF to the Korean border, in case Russia wanted to take control of the Korean peninsula." The girl looked around the truck, and Maki took the opportunity to do the same. Everyone was paying attention, at least. That was positive.

Maki felt, again, compelled to add to the statement. "They also authorized the use of selective service, and allowed the deployment of the SDF to Sakhalin island, as well." She gestured to Hanayo to continue her explanation.

"R-right! You're really smart, Maki-chan. Thank you for helping me explain," Hanayo complimented. Maki's heart melted for the second time that morning. Hanayo was a national treasure, that poor girl, and as much as Maki found her obnoxious sometimes, she was just too sweet for words. Hanayo opened her mouth to say something but stopped, hesitating for a minute, before starting again. "So, with the SDF in South Korea, North Korea was very angry at us. From what I've read or seen on the news, they were planning to join in the war as well, but this was the final straw for them. The KPA- the Korean People's Army- the North Korean army-" Hanayo struggled to explain the abbreviations she was dealing with. Maki related tremendously. "The KPA crossed the DMZ into South Korea and the SDF garrison based in Yeoncheon, uhm, fought back. Then it was a war, I guess…?" Hanayo looked inquisitively at Maki.

Maki nodded. That was a pretty good explanation! Hanayo knew more than she thought she did. "The current fighting," she noted, "is essentially on the border. Nobody has made major progress. But, with a formal declaration of defensive war on the way this week… things will change in our favor. Quickly. The international community won't bat an eye if we tear up the Constitution and remilitarize if we're fighting two wars at the same time, one of them to protect an ally. We're the good guys, y'know?" She giggled. Maki was often proud to be Japanese, but now she was excited. Just a little. Politics always piqued her interest, even if the career she had been assigned was medicine and the one she had fallen into was music. Her interests were eclectic, to say the least.

"To celebrate the fearlessness of our brave SDF soldiers," Umi commented, "We'll be participating in the parade in Osaka." The dark haired girl gestured over her shoulder, out the window of the truck. "Just down the street is the staging ground. That's where we'll get out and march in front of the soldiers on the way to the concert, in the center of the city."

Eli piped up. "I hope you all ate a healthy breakfast. It's a lot of exertion, even without the concert. The parade will be quick, from what I was told. That means we'll be moving very fast." Behind her usual caring-but-condescending tone, there was a little fear, it seemed. Maybe Maki was reading too much into it, but she made a mental note.

"Umi packed us bags of dried rice and little soy sauce packets! I ate mine a few minutes ago-" Honoka giggled. She probably realized they had all seen her do it. She didn't need to tell them again. "You saw me! Anyway, those are really good. If you're hungry, eat them!"

Maki was fine. Nico had brought her a bagel from the fancy breakfast bar in the lobby of the hotel. She woke up early, and everything. Maki had never expected it out of her, but Nico had such a great capacity for being sweet. Maki had ordered Nico to let her share it with her. It was a big bagel, anyway- enough for two. She owed it to Nico, even ignoring how much Nico had helped her out the night before. She hoped Nico forgot that part, though.

Maki found her eyes wandering back towards Nico, seated up against the window. She was probably thinking about the bagel too. They made eye contact and they were forced to work together to stifle their giggles. Maki wasn't a giggly girl, and Nico wasn't very giggly either. Not when she was being herself, at least. But something about the way Nico looked at her- and, for Nico, the way Maki looked at her- made them giggle. It was a mutually titillating, for whatever reason.

Just as the comfort of silence began to give way to separate conversations between subsets of the girls, having been left to their own devices, the truck stopped again. Everyone fell silent, one after the other.

The woman seated in the front seat of the truck, next to the driver, peaked her head back to look at the girls. She calmly informed them, "We're here." The woman and the driver, both SDF soldiers, opened their doors and stepped out. The excitement of a crowd was immediately apparent. Without the doors and windows between them and the throngs gathering on the sidewalks, it became apparent how many people truly were there. There to see this group of soldiers off to war, and to see Muse perform.

Honoka opened the door on her side of the truck, and Nico did the same on her side. As the girls streamed out, Maki felt her heart drop to the bottom of her chest and shoot to the top. Maki loved crowds. She also hated them. She loved being cheered for. She loved being loved. She hated having the ability to embarrass herself. She hated the idea of being hated. All in all, though, whatever apprehension she had stirring in her stomach on the ride over- it was gone now. Seeing easily 500 people gathered to see Muse on this street alone, not even on the parade path- it was magical. Maki couldn't help but shudder with a mix of happiness.

A few feet away, stepping out of another car, was another SDF soldier. He wore a blue cap. As much as Maki knew about the SDF, she was puzzled. She wasn't familiar with the blue designation. She was sure it was an existing designation, but she still couldn't put her finger on it. Her look of confusion must have been apparent.

Hanayo, who had scooted out to the left, alongside Nico, Maki, and Rin, approached Maki, standing next to her. She leaned towards Maki and spoke to her. She raised her voice slightly, over the crowd. "Blue is communications, Maki-chan. He's a propaganda officer meant to help set up the parade and the concert."

"Oh! So, that means…"

Maki knew what propaganda was, obviously, but she had never really thought that she was participating in it. Would her singing and her dancing help make Japanese teenagers, not a few years older than herself, sign up to risk their lives? The thought was crushing. Something she had taken to doing for fun, to make people smile, could be used to convince people to essentially throw their lives away. She finally felt like she was connecting the dots. She looked down, at her feet, shame beginning to fluster her. Looking down didn't help. The boots the SDF had given her were the same the soldiers just over the sea in Korea were wearing. She was just playing a game while people were fighting for their lives. Maki felt her mouth open. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't. She felt so, so childish. So, so stupid. She was being used, wasn't she? She and all her friends! Maki's eyes shot up, looking back at her friends. Nico, Rin, Hanayo- they were all rhetoric! They were all an incentive! They were…

Maki was broken from her stupor by the screech of a megaphone turning on. Her eyes returned to the officer, who was gesticulating to quiet down to the crowd. The man brought the megaphone to his mouth and spoke into it, energy brimming from his voice.

"Ladies and gentleman of Osaka, please welcome the dark-horse Idol sensation, Muse!"

The crowd erupted into applause and cheering. They were fevered with reverence at the nine girls scattered throughout the section of street blocked off for their arrival. The officer had noticed Maki's eyes returning to him every now and then. He looked her in the eye, a few feet separating them, and gave her a confident thumbs up.

Despite having only open pavement between them, inside, Maki was as far away as she could get.

* * *

 **Hi! Here's that chapter I promised. I don't have as much to say in this author's note as I thought I would, but I'll address any reviews as well as tease where this is going more next chapter. Unless, of course, it's obvious now- which I doubt. I think it's such an abrupt leap that it won't matter even if I do tease it.**

 **I'd like to mention now, though. Warning: This fic will contain light elements of gore, controversial themes, a LITTLE politics, and a lot of violence in later chapters. When** _ **later**_ **is, specifically, is for me to know and you to find out. I don't want to compromise the shock value and unpredictability of the story, but I still want a warning.**

 **Has anyone read,** _ **The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea?**_ **That novel does shock well, but I still would have liked a warning before some of the more graphic scenes. This is that warning.**

 **Seriousness aside, thank you for getting this far! I appreciate it so much! Keep telling me what you think, and if you reviewed Chapter I, review Chapter II! Keep up the hype and the feedback! It's the lifeblood of a writer. Thanks for reading, Love,** _ **M.**_

 **PS.: It goes without saying, but this chapter is from Maki's point of view. Each chapter is from a single character's point of view, to keep things easy to read, but between chapters there will be routine swaps between Honoka, Maki, and the third character who has a lot to do in this story. It's not Nico, but I invite you to guess! There's a little foreshadowing as to who it is, but you'll find out next chapter anyway. Until then!**


	3. Loving Arms

Chapter III

Smiles weren't her thing. Eli Ayase was more of a grin. Sometimes a smirk. Never really a smile, though. Of course, she found herself doing either of those things pretty often. Much more so lately than she had in the past. There hadn't been much to smile about even after Nozomi walked into her life, but after Nozomi brought the rest of Muse with her, Eli the corners of her lips perked up into a look of affirmation more commonly than before. She appreciated it. That was a fair appreciation of how much Muse meant to her. She wasn't fanatical about the group; caring too much wasn't a trap Eli ever desired to fall down. She could do without some parts of the group, too, particularly how loud the girls were whenever they went out together. Even when they weren't on stage, Nico and that girl Maki, the first year, tended to put on a show. She was sure they knew it, too. Bickering like a married couple all the time- it was shameless!

And the way they giggled at each other just making eye contact? Even worse! She and Nozomi were vastly more mature about their relationship. At least they acknowledged it to each other, if no one else. Eli knew that she had fallen, though try as she might to pull herself away, in live with Nozomi. Nozomi had accepted her with open arms. Eli wasn't as enthusiastic about things as the other girl, but she accepted it too. Meanwhile, Eli would bet money that Maki and Nico were still in complete denial. How childish.

Eli hated having to bite her tongue, and even with the crowd cheering her on, she couldn't maintain focus on the show. The whole parade, she was distracted. Glancing at Maki. Glancing at Nico. Nico seemed to be distracted to- by Maki. It would be cute, if it weren't obnoxious. But, alas. Eli couldn't say a word. Both because it would upset Nozomi, and because Nico and Maki were on the other side of side of the street the whole walk over. During performances, the girls tended to gravitate towards being arranged in order of grade level, with the first years on the far left and the third years on the far right. Lately, though, Nico had been putting herself next to Maki. Eli thought it was incredibly obvious that the small, obnoxious girl was obsessed with Maki. Maki, and the rest of the girls, seemed to be completely deaf to it though.

During the performance, too, Nico and Maki were essentially all over eachother. Between Nico's influence over Honoka, and Maki asking _nicely,_ the two always ended up in the choreography of shows. Of course, neither of them ever explicitly stated they wanted to be next to each other. Maki always said she just 'felt more comfortable over here' and Nico always claimed she 'looked better next to the shorter girls.' Sure, they could say that, and that naive Honoka could believe them, but Eli knew better. Watching them perform proved it to the senior girl. She'd glance overly subtly at a rehearsal or even sometimes during shows and see them singing practically to each other. And whenever they'd submit lyrics to Umi for review, they were just sappy love songs. Honestly, Eli could barely stand it!

As the song began to pick up, passing the lull in the middle, Eli had to return to her focus to the song. No more ranting to herself while she went through the motions.

"I'm soldier heart!" She sang, belting out the words as powerfully as she could.

"Makenai kara ne, It's soldier game!" Responded the other girls.

The instrumental kicked in, and the girls continued their routine. The choreography had been changed to have them marching to the rhythm and clicking their boots together on the beat, and as difficult as it was, it felt satisfying to do. Eli knew it probably looked even cooler from the audience.

"Come on!" the girls shouted, in unison.

The instrumental continued and the girls quickly filed back into the positions they had been at when the song began, prepared to follow to the next movement. This was the home stretch of the performance- the last song of the day was just about to end. After this, it would be a short interview and a trip home. Eli felt the smile she had plastered on her face for the performance fill, for the first time that day, with authenticity.

"Ima ga shoubu yo! Watashi wa dare desho? Shiritaku natta deshou?" Maki cried her solo, her thick, breathy voice alone in the air. It wasn't the best voice in the group, but Eli had to admit there was phenomenal power in it. Maki paused to take a breath before finishing the solo, "Naraba koi kamo!"

The rest of the girls continued, "Watashi no naka ni wa himitsu ga aru to shite

Sore o kimi wa?"

"Watashi no naka ni wa himitsu ga aru to shite! Sore o kimi wa?" All of Muse sang at full capacity, sharing a desire to round off the concert with a powerful performance. As the final chorus set in, the group's choreography slowed to a halt and they jumped to the pose they'd end the show in.

"Watashi to itsuka wa tatakaubeki aite, Sore wa kimi no risei kamo, It's soldier game!" The girls took a breath before pounding out the last few lyrics, "Mata aeta no ni I'm soldier heart!" They all held the last note, harmonizing for a moment, before cutting off and letting the final few notes echo out into the packed audience. As the music came to a close, Muse continued to hold the pose. Eli's breath was heavy and her chest swelled with each breath. She had almost broken a sweat. Her smile was bolstered again by the thought that the hard part. She just had to smile and wave now. As the spotlights lighting the venue went down and the lights of the rest of the auditorium came up, the girls rushed to the edge of the stage to wave at the fans and shake hands and generally be sappy little dorks. Honoka always drank up all the praise she could- she was the worst of the offenders when it came to the after-show fanservice. She'd climb down into the audience and hug everyone if they'd let her.

Eli felt obligated to rush down to the edge of the stage after them, smiling and waving alongside the girls. "Hi! Thanks for coming! I hope to see you again soon," she said, giving out the love for the fans that was expected of her. She would much rather have belonged to some sort of enigmatic school Idol group, provided she had to belong to one. Like A-RISE. They never did these dorky little meet-and-greets at the end of shows. They were mysterious and distant. Eli could relate to that, but here she was, smiling and waving like she was a simpleton. Like she was Honoka.

As much as she respected Honoka, she couldn't help but think of her as quite stupid. Honoka was an idiot. A lovable, friendly, good-spirited idiot. But a major idiot. She was the leader, and she lead decently, but in any serious sort of situation, she'd rather brave the world on her own than trust her with anything important. Honoka was just too simple of a girl for Eli's taste.

As the audience roared with excitement and applause, cheering the girls and reaching up and out to them, Eli couldn't help but glance around. Nico and Maki were still right next to each other. Nico was blowing kisses to the audiences and Maki seemed to be copying her. Eli couldn't help but shudder slightly. If Maki developed some sort of cutesy alter-ego, Eli would quit Muse. One Nico was more than enough. Eli's gaze found itself on the wings of the stage. Eli stopped smiling and waving, her arms falling to her sides.

Just off stage, a man in SDF gear and a blue beret was frantically gesturing to them. He seemed to be shouting, too, but over the noise of the crowd Eli couldn't hear him. She tried to read his lips. What was he saying…?

 _Get off! Get off! Get off!_ What did he mean? Get off the stage? Eli would be happy to oblige him, in that case. She grabbed Nozomi's hand and quickly whisked her off the stage. Nozomi protested but she had to grin and bear it, waving as she was dragged off. As soon as Eli and her friend were safely off stage, Nozomi cast off Eli's hand.

"Eli-chan, what was that?!" She barked. With the curtain in dampening the sound of the crowd ever so slightly, Nozomi could be heard over the din.

"The SDF man was telling us to get off stage." Eli explained. She peeked around the curtain. The other seven girls were still hamming it up for the fanatical audience.

"What does he want?" Nozomi inquired. She was less angry with a rational cause for Eli's behavior but Eli knew that the other girl was having fun. Nozomi always was a sucker for applause.

"I don't know. He should be making his way over here now. He was on the other side of the stage. Probably going the long way," Eli theorized. She looked across the stage to where the man had been. He wasn't there anymore, meaning Eli was likely right.

"Shouldn't we get the other girls?"

"Maybe. We'll see what the SDF man wants."

Eli jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw it was the man. He had approached her while she was looking for him across the stage, the sound of his boots drowned out.

"Ayase-san, you and the rest of the girls are in grave danger. There's been a report that the Russians are launching a massive aerial assault on Hokkaido. High command is ordering the immediate relocation of Muse."

"Hokkaido is across Japan! We're hardly in danger here, even if your report is true, sir," commented Nozomi.

"Right. And, in case you forgot, Muse isn't a military unit. We're school Idols. ' _High Command_ ' means nothing to us. You can't just order us around!" Eli added. As much as she was shouting to be heard over the crowd, it was also apparent she was shouting out of anger.

"The concert is sponsored by the SDF, and we're shutting it down. Get the girls off stage right now, or we'll shut the lights off," threatened the man. "We don't want to ruin the fun these people are having, so just let them return to their homes and let us get you to safety."

"We're perfectly safe here!" Eli cast a hand towards the girls on stage, pointing. "Let them have their fun!"

The man grit his teeth. He was as angry as Eli was. "It's for your own good! You're in danger here! A concert like this would be a prime target for Russian aggression." His eyes burned with frustration.

"I'll show you some Russian aggression!" shouted Eli. Horosho! She raised an arm, winding up a fist. She could see Nozomi shoot out a hand to stop her but she was a foot too far away to prevent her from jumping at the man.

The man took a single step back, letting Eli lose her balance. Eli pushed her right foot down onto the floor, keeping herself from falling over. She almost tripped but she kept upright.

"Eli-chan, wait!" Nozomi shouted. Eli knew Nozomi wouldn't get involved and shrugged her off.

Eli leapt forward again, leading with her left arm, trying to clothesline the man. The soldier quickly lowered his stance and brought his right hand to bear on her, grabbing her extended arm and pushing it forward. She spun to the left, and the man quickly took his ankle to her own and pulled her leg up with his foot, leaving her contorted and on one leg.

With a decisive push, he threw her to the ground and Eli shouted in pain as she impacted the concrete of the stage. Her eyes shut and she arched her back in agony. She shouted through her grit teeth. "Tchyo za ga'lima!?" She rolled back and forth, trying to get up. The pain was paralyzing her, leaving her writhing on the floor. She had been completely destroyed!

Eli felt Nozomi's soft, warm hands on her face. "Eli, Eli, are you okay?!" She shouted. The blonde girl felt Nozomi's hands move to her shoulders, trying to shake her up. Nozomi gasped and Eli heard the thud of a boot beside her head. She tried to keep still, not wanting to show this man her weakness.

"Attacking an SDF soldier over a petty argument is a poor idea, Ayase." The man was even angrier than before, neglecting honorifics entirely. "You're too hot-headed." Eli heard the man lift his book and she grunted in pain as he brought it down on her ponytail, grinding the heavy boot against it, pulling at her hair. "Look at this. You're probably with them, anyway. If we had things my way, we'd keep all of your kind out of the country anyway." She blindly clutched at the man's leg, trying weakly to pull him down.

She felt like she could hear the man laughing faintly over the din just across the curtain. She struggled to get her bearings, feeling the man take his foot off her hair. Was it over…?

She tried to shout but couldn't as she felt his boot come down on her stomach. He stomped on her, forcing the air out of her. She felt like she couldn't breath, winded by the man's heavy boot. Nozomi cried out, somewhere to her left. She was blind, choking, and in horrible pain. She was furious.

The man lifted his boot off her and she struggled to get up, breathing erratically. She felt Nozomi's hands on her face again, cupping it, and hoped the man had lost interest in humiliating her. She hoped no one had seen her get beat up by this SDF dirtbag. Nozomi was probably worried about her, though. She'd have to try to reassure her. "I'm…" she had to take a breath, drawing in air as best she could. "Fine." She was in pain and could barely breath but she knew she'd pull through. Nothing felt broken.

She fell still and let her back lay flat against the floor. Nozomi picked her torso up slightly, hugging the taller girl to her. "He's gone, Eli-chan. He went on stage to get the girls himself," Nozomi said. Eli appreciated her being informative over being emotional. "They aren't any more interested in leaving than you were, and he can't beat Honoka up."

"Not on stage, he can't," Eli croaked. She was hoarse and her voice felt weak. She still didn't feel like she could open her eyes. At least she could breath enough to talk. "They're probably about to shut off the lights anyway. The concert won't be very convincing propaganda, in that case. People will ask questions."

"That's if there turns out not to be any danger." Nozomi paused. She knew Eli wouldn't want to hear what she said next, and Eli knew she knew it. There was a an uncomfortable tension. "He could have been right, Eli-chan."

"I know, Nozomi, but I care absolutely none. I may not like it, but these people came out here to enjoy themselves. Muse has a duty to entertain them to its best ability, and as a group, we don't ever betray the fans."

"I appreciate your sudden concern for the fans, but it's definitely not worth broken ribs." Nozomi poked Eli's chest. "Does it hurt?"

Eli opened her eyes stared daggers at the other girl. "No, it feels amazing."

"I know it hurts, I'm asking how much!" Nozomi sighed in exasperation. "Why are you always so difficult?!"

Eli smirked. "That's why you're head over heels for me."

"I wish he busted your lip, too. You wouldn't be so smug, then." Nozomi smiled down at Eli.

"I don't have any broken bones. He wasn't trying to cripple me."

"From where I was standing-" Nozomi started, anger forming in her voice.

"It was just a skirmish. Even if you weren't watching, he wouldn't have hurt me much more."

Nozomi sighed again, rubbing her temples. "This morning, the cards told me trouble would bring ruin. It seems I've found what I was looking for."

"Oh, so you wanted this to happen?" Eli tried to cross her arms in feigned disgust but she winced in pain as she tried to fold them.

"Stop trying to be cute, Eli-chan. He almost broke your arm."

The two girls smiled at eachother. Eli was happy to share a moment like this with Nozomi, even if it had cost her quite a bit of pain to reach. Her mom would have scolded her for lashing out in anger, but Nozomi was content to take her side and try to help her up. She appreciated Nozomi's unconditional support, even if it did lead Eli to make some poor choices.

There was a loud crack, like the sound of electricity surging, and the auditorium quickly fell dark. The crowd beyond the curtain quickly fell silent and the lights over the stage fell dark one by one, before the whole, large room became pitch black. In the apprehensive silence, Eli heard the SDF man shout, "Follow me!" and the clattering of boots followed by seven pairs of flats. The man was leading the girls off stage.

"I suppose he got what he wanted," Eli mused.

"He's leaving us behind," Nozomi stated. "We should follow him."

Eli gestured to herself, wiggling a leg. As much as it hurt, she was trying to make a point. Nozomi frowned and set Eli's chest down onto the floor gently, moving to hold the leg. She looked at it silently for a moment before turning back to meet Eli's eyes.

"You're bleeding all over the boots."

Eli giggled and Nozomi joined in. Nozomi was adorably morbid sometimes. It was charming. Even in the near blinding darkness, with the silence of afraid confusion hanging over them like a stormy cloud, blood covering the girl she purported to love- Nozomi had time to offer a macabre joke.

After the humour died out and the murmuring of the abandoned crowd became a loud din in and of itself, Nozomi and Eli remained silent. They were about as at a loss as the audience was. How were they going to get back to the hotel, Eli pondered. The SDF man would probably order the vehicle to leave immediately, and hitchhiking back was hardly a possibility with blood soaking through the uniform. She was likely hurt pretty bad underneath the clothes but now wasn't the time to worry about that, and both of them knew it.

"We might as well get walking," decided Eli. "We'll figure out the plan as we go."

Nozomi nodded in agreement and hoisted Eli up, letting Eli lean on her. Eli found her right leg to be fine, having impacted the hard, rough concrete much less than the left. She limped forward alongside Nozomi, letting the slightly shorter of the two hold her up. Eli was definitely the strongest physically of the group, but Eli noticed Nozomi was definitely a close second to be able to carry her so effortlessly. The two made their way onto the stage, ever so slowly, and went towards the edge. Nozomi stamped her boots against the floor of the stage and the two whooped as loud as they could for attention. The confused crowd quieted down, as if the familiar voices of their favorite Idols would fix everything. The microphones hidden at the lip of the stage were all off, Eli noticed. Strange, they weren't connected to the lights…?

Nozomi spoke up. She had been the one to bring the two out here, after all.

"Attention, Osaka! Muse regrets to inform you that the concert has to be cut short, on account of technical failure! The SDF is currently experiencing unforeseen logistical difficulties! We assure you that we're all fine, safe, and most importantly, we enjoyed giving you guys a show!" Nozomi raised her left arm and Eli quickly followed suit with her right, waving. Preventing a riot with some showmanship was always fun.

The crowd clapped. Between the faint bloodstains, inexplicable power outage, and the way Eli was clinging to Nozomi, she hoped they didn't seriously believe nothing was wrong. Of course, reassuring words were simply reassuring, regardless of how obviously a lie they had to have been. Nozomi and the crowd likely had some sort unspoken agreement, it seemed, to keep calm even in the face of fear. In the dark, you couldn't see the worry on another's face, afterall. As the crowd fell silent again, Nozomi spoke once more.

"Goodnight, Osaka! Please go home and turn on your televisions!"

Nozomi gave one more wave before letting her hand drop to her side. Eli did the same, and Nozomi rotated the two towards the right wing of the stage and the two began their slow exit.

The crowd remained silent before the shuffle of hundreds of footsteps filled the large, open room. They were leaving, as Nozomi had asked. They were either very smart, or very loyal. Either was preferable to Eli.

The blonde girl turned her head towards the dark haired girl, smiling at her as they walked off. "You're good at stirring up crowds, Nozomi-chan. Has anyone ever told you that you have a future in politics?"

"The same to you, Madame Student President." Nozomi returned the smile and turned back forward to focus on navigating the pair through the darkened environment.

"My policy position is to disband the SDF," Eli joked.

"Don't hold a grudge because of some uppity, violent soldier. If he was right, he did you a favor, leaving you in my care. You'd probably try to fight those Russians off all by yourself."

"And I'd win, too. I'm more man than _he'll_ ever be," she kidded. Eli flexed the arm she didn't have across Nozomi's shoulders.

"Raw strength alone doesn't mean much when you get get knocked over that quickly."

Eli remained silent. Nozomi was kidding- or at least, she hoped Nozomi was- but it still hurt. Both physically, and in terms of her pride. More than a decade of dance, three years of krav maga, and one hour of exercise every day weren't enough to make her the force to be reckoned with she had thought she was. Her ability to remain cool and collected under pressure, too, had been called into question by her needlessly combative response to the rude man.

She had made a mistake.

As they reached the wings, Nozomi directed the two towards the stairs down off the stage and into the tunnels under the floor of the auditorium that lead to the parking garage they had entered from. That was probably where the SDF trucks were parked, and where the rest of Muse had been taken.

The pair silently shambled forward, the toe of Eli's damaged leg dragging across the concrete. Good thing the boots had steel toes, Eli thought. At least something lucky had occurred. Of course, those same steel toes had knocked the wind out of her. Maybe she wasn't so lucky.

When they reached the tunnel, and the high ceilings of the auditorium gave way to the cramped concrete of the tunnel, Eli put a hand against the wall of the tunnel and whispered to Nozomi. "Nozomi-chan, stop. I hear something." Nozomi dutifully did so and closed her eyes to listen. Eli did the same. Over the loud shuffling of feet in the auditorium, the faint sound of an alarm echoing in the distance could be heard. Eli's heart skipped a beat and Nozomi's grip on her shoulder tightened.

The terrifying, guttural cry of a tsunami siren bounced down into the tunnel. The sound was terrifying enough as it was, as purely fear inspiring as could be just by what it normally signified. However, this was no tsunami. This was something else. This was…

The two girls exchanged a glance.

"Go deeper," Eli instructed, her voice shaky

Nozomi hurried the two further down the tunnel. Hopefully they were under enough roof, building, dirt, and concrete to keep them safe from whatever was coming their way. The footsteps grew fainter as they went along, and eventually the tunnel was silent except for the shuffle of Nozomi's feet and Eli's foot and the quiet scraping of steel toe on concrete. The end of the tunnel seemed to be maybe a hundred meters either way, with locked service doors dotting the walls of the hallway. At the end, there was no light, but the widening of the an exit confirmed the existence of such an end. Was the whole city out of power, Eli wondered. The duo moved along, hurrying as much as Eli's injury would allow. It wasn't much at all. Just as the pair arrived at what Eli thought to be the halfway point, the ground shook.

"Do you think that's…?" Nozomi ventured. "And how far away?"

"It probably is, and I can't tell. I'm not a soldier, I'm a lover," answered the blonde girl. She shot Nozomi a grin.

Nozomi shook her head and smiled back. "I wish you were this fun around the other girls. They don't believe me when I tell them how funny you are."

"Nobody knows me like you do, Nozomi," Eli corrected.

Nozomi opened her mouth to reply but quickly shut it when another tremor shook the concrete beneath them. This time, they stopped moving, and the silence allowed them to hear the faint sound of rubble crashing to the ground somewhere far away. Eli couldn't hear any explosions, but it was hardly consolation.

Eli's grin dropped to a frown. Dying in a tunnel in a bloody SDF fatigues was her number one least favorite way to die. Well, perhaps not the least, but it was wholly unattractive to the girl. "Sit us down. No point in going any further. The rubble in the garage won't crush us any more gently than the rubble in here, if we're going to be crushed." It was true, however macabre.

"Aye aye, Captain Negativity." Nozomi turned them to face the wall and lowered Eli against it, propping her up. Once Eli was safe, Nozomi sat beside her. "At least I can die holding your hand."

Eli looked at Nozomi and smiled, waiting for her to grab the hand she had raised for Nozomi to hold. Nozomi turned towards Eli and raised an eyebrow.

"I said, I _can_. Not that I would." She laughed, leaning on the taller girl. Nozomi let her head rest in the crook of Eli's neck, nuzzling her.

Eli couldn't help but chuckle. "That's horrible. Your obsession with dark humour is completely a turn off, particularly so in the face of imminent death."

"I heard that adrenaline is good for a girl's sex life," commented the shorter girl.

"I'd prefer not to end my real life with the beginning of my sex life, Nozomi," Eli stated. However much real danger they were in felt distant when they could joke about it. Who cared whether they lived or died, when they had each other? Eli settled into silence, running the hand she had meant for Nozomi to hold around Nozomi's shoulder and squeezing her in a tight hug.

Eli spoke again. "I'm not sure if it's blood loss, exhaustion, or a coma coming on, but I'm phenomenally sleepy."

"After a beating like that, it would make sense."

"What if those were your last words, Nozomi-chan?"

"I'd relish them. Let me say them again to increase the odds-"

"Be quiet, Nozomi," Eli begged. "I want to try to catch some sleep. I have a feeling we'll be awake for a while."

* * *

 **Look! An update! And it's from Eli's point of view! And, she's mean?! Two of those things should be surprises, and one should not! I'll type up a longer A/N next time but for now, I'd just like to get this chapter up to keep the story alive.**


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